Synonyms

legal tender

American

noun

currency that may be lawfully tendered in payment of a debt, such as paper money, Federal Reserve notes, or coins.

legal tender British

noun

currency in specified denominations that a creditor must by law accept in redemption of a debt

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

legal tender Cultural

Any form of money that a government decrees must be accepted in payment of debts.

Etymology

Origin of legal tender

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In 2021, El Salvador made bitcoin legal tender alongside the US dollar.

From BBC

Pennies will remain legal tender, so they can still be used or exchanged for other cash.

From The Wall Street Journal

All UK coins featuring the late Queen's profile remain legal tender and in active circulation, alongside her son's coins.

From BBC

Last year, the country welcomed a record 3.9 million tourists, including cryptocurrency evangelists drawn by Bukele’s short-lived experiment in making Bitcoin legal tender.

From Los Angeles Times

"I'll accept any legal tender - I'm not going to tell people how to pay for their goods," she added.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023